LESBIAN LIVES AND CULTURES
WMNST 535
SPRING 2016
ESTHER ROTHBLUM
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Class Meeting Times: Tuesday, Thursday 2-3:15 p.m.
Classroom: Life Science North 134
Professor: Esther Rothblum
Office: AL 317
Office Hours: Wednesday 9-10:30 am
Telephone: 594-6662
Email: erothblu@mail.sdsu.edu
The best way to reach me is via email--I am happy to reply to emails any time. You can
also talk to me before or after class.
Teaching Assistant: Julie Gardner
Email: gardnerj865@gmail.com
The focus of this course is on theoretical, historical, psychological, political and cultural
construction of lesbian existence; the influence of feminisms on lesbian lives; and the
complexity of lesbian lives across class, race, ethnic, age, and national/international
differences. We will discuss the meaning of “lesbianism” and woman-identified-women
across time and culture. The course will focus on a number of topics, including the
coming out process, sex and relationships, parenting, the lesbian body, lesbian
communities, activism, and popular culture, among many others.
Required texts available at KB Books and Aztec Books:
Blackwood, Evelyn & Saskia Wieringa
Female Desires: Same-Sex Relations and Transgender Practices Across Cultures
NY: Columbia University Press, 1999
Larkin, Joan (Ed.)
A Woman Like That: Lesbian and Bisexual Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories
NY: Avon Books, 1999
All additional readings are available electronically on Blackboard.sdsu.edu under Course
Documents.
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Student Learning Goals and Objectives:
Student learning goals for this course have been aligned with the overall goals for a
Women’s Studies major.
At the end of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the way that societies across national boundaries
have constructed the lesbian
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the ways that lesbians’ lives are shaped by
social institutions
3. Evaluate multiple perspectives about lesbian lives and cultures from the
perspectives of history, psychology, politics, and cultural studies.
4. Write and speak articulately about lesbian lives and cultures, and demonstrate
critical thinking skills
Message from Student Disability Services
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473.
To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student
Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you
have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability
Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Academic Misconduct
Section 41301 of Title V of the California Code of Regulations defines academic
misconduct as “Cheating or plagiarism in connection with an academic program at a
campus.” According to the SDSU Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities,
“Examples of cheating would include using unauthorized notes or study guides during an
exam, unauthorized collaboration on coursework, stealing course examinations or
materials, falsifying records or data, and intentionally assisting another individual in any
of the above.” Some examples of plagiarism include submitting work that was written by
someone else or using someone else’s ideas without referencing that source in a footnote
or bibliography. When using exact quotes, be sure put these quotes within quotation
marks.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
I. Class participation (15%)
It is important to develop the ability to critically evaluate material and to communicate
your ideas to others. In addition, this course depends heavily on collective discussion and
interpretation of the readings. You will be graded on class participation depending on the
extent to which your comments and reflections in class contributed to and enhanced
general knowledge of the course materials and added to the learning experience of the
class as a whole.
Note that this is a significant portion of your total grade. I will be emailing all
students feedback about level and quality of class participation on March 10, halfway
through the semester.
II. Weekly journals (30%)
The readings are an important part of this course. You will be required to submit a
journal entry that consists of a brief (about 1 page, typed, double-spaced) evaluation of
each reading for that class period.
Journal entries are due at the beginning of each class starting on Thursday,
January 28.
For each journal entry, please do the following:
1.
When you read the article, find two main points that you think the
author emphasizes. Main points would be ones you would use if you
were to describe the purpose of the article to others.
2.
Write one paragraph about each main point. Even if the author uses
technical language, describe the main point in such a way that it is easy
to understand.
3.
Then write one paragraph that evaluates the article. What was your
reaction and why?
Points: 1 for each reading (there are 30 readings in all during the semester).
Points will be taken off if the entries do not cover all readings for that class session, if the
entries are not related to the above questions, or if the entries do not indicate you have
done the readings.
You can avoid late entries by handing in journal entries during the class before
they are due, or emailing the entries to a classmate so that he/she can print out your
journal entries when you can’t come to class. You cannot email journal entries to the
instructor.
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III. Midtern Open-Book Exam: 30% of total grade (20% for graduate students)
The purpose of the exam is to demonstrate that you can integrate the course
material (readings, films, lectures, student presentations, and discussions) in a
comprehensive and meaningful way.
A list of essay exam questions will be given to the class on Tuesday, March 8.
Students will have some choice of exam items. The midterm exam needs to be handed in
in class on Thursday, March 17.
IV. Final Open-Book Exam: 25% of total grade (15% for graduate students)
The purpose of the exam is to demonstrate that you can integrate the course
material (readings, films, lectures, student presentations, and discussions) in a
comprehensive and meaningful way.
A list of essay exam questions will be given to the class on Thursday, April 28.
Students will have some choice of exam items, and the exam is open book. Completed
exams should be emailed via Blackboard by TUESDAY, MAY 10 AT 1PM (that is the
final exam date for our course).
V. Class Lecture for Graduate Students (5% for prospectus + 15% for class lecture)
Each graduate student will give a class lecture on a topic related to this course. Please
confirm topics with me by Tuesday, March 8 and submit a short (1/2 page) overview of
your topic and a preliminary (1/2 page) bibliography on that day at the beginning of class.
This will count as 5% of your grade. The class lecture itself is currently scheduled for
Thursday, April 14 and will count as 15% of your grade.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL PAPERS AND EXAMS MUST REFLECT HIGHQUALITY, COLLEGE-LEVEL WRITING. THE SDSU WRITING CENTER IS AN
EXCELLENT RESOURCE: http://writingcenter.sdsu.edu/
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Extra credit (5% added to final course grade)
For a maximum of 3 points: At any time during the semester, students can hand in up to
three additional journal entries about chapters from the Blackwood & Wieringa textbook
Female Desires: Same-Sex Relations and Transgender Practices Across Cultures that
were not assigned as class readings. The extra credit journal entries should have the same
outline as other in-class journal entries. Extra credit journal entries are due in class on
Thursday, May 5 at the beginning of class.
For two points: Students can also show a 5-10 minute video clip in class that depicts
lesbians in films, television, music or other media. Two class periods have been set aside
for this: March 15 and April 7. Students will be scheduled in a first-come, first-served
manner once they have sent me the sample clip and their preferred date.
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SYLLABUS
Thursday, January 21
&
Tuesday, January 26
INTRODUCTION AND COURSE DESCRIPTION
AND
FILM: BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER
Thursday, January 28
&
Tuesday, February 2
IDENTITY: WHO IS A LESBIAN?
Two journal entries due on January 28 for:
1. Blackwood and Wieringa book: Lesbians, Men-Women, and Two Spirits:
Homosexuality and Gender in Native American Cultures, by Sabine Lang
2. Blackwood and Wieringa book: “What’s Identity Got to Do With It?” Rethinking
Identity in Light of the Mati Work in Suriname, by Gloria Wekker
Thursday, February 4
&
Tuesday, February 9
LESBIAN HISTORY
Two journal entries due on February 4 for:
1. Carroll Smith-Rosenberg (1975). The female world of love and ritual: Relations
between women in nineteenth-century America. Signs: Journal of Women in
Culture and Society, 1(1), 1-29.
2. Larkin book: Mad For Her, by Jill Johnston
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Thursday, February 11
THE COMING OUT PROCESS
One journal entry due on February 11 for:
1. Saori Kamano (2005). Entering the lesbian world in Japan: Debut stories.
Journal of Lesbian Studies, 9(1/2), 11-30.
Tuesday, February 16
&
Thursday, February 18
SEX, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Three journal entries due on February 16 for:
1. Blackwood and Wieringa book: Women in Lesotho and the (Western)
Construction of Gender, by Kendall
2. Esther Rothblum (1999). Poly-friendships. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 3(1/2),
71-83.
3. Cynthia Deer (1999). A Long Journey Towards Polyamorous Bliss. Journal of
Lesbian Studies, 3(1/2), 165-174.
Tuesday, February 23
&
Thursday, February 25
THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE
Two journal entries due on February 23 for:
1. Kitty Tsui (1995). Lesbian marriage ceremonies: I do. In K. Jay (Ed.) Dyke
Life: From growing up to growing old. NY: Basic Books.
2. Marlon Bailey, Priya Kandaswamy & Mattie Udora Richardson (2004). Is Gay
Marriage Racist? In Mattilda (aka Matt Bernstein Sycamore) That’s Revolting!
Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation (pp. 87-93). Brooklyn, NY: Soft
Skull Press.
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Tuesday, March 1
THE LESBIAN BODY
Two journal entries due on March 1 for:
1. Larkin book: A Vision, by Rebecca Brown
2. Jennifer Lyle et al. (1999). Beauty on the borderland: On being Black lesbian
and beautiful. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 3(4), 45-53.
Thursday, March 3
BIOLOGY OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION?
One journal entry due on March 3 for:
1. What is Sexual Orientation and Do Women Have One? By J. Michael Bailey. In
Debra Hope (2009) Contemporary Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual
Identities. NY: Springer Science and Business Media.
Tuesday, March 8
&
Thursday, March 10
LESBIAN MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Two journal entries due on March 8 for:
1. Larkin book: My Debut, by Blanche McCrary Boyd
2. Larkin book:Cherry Picker, by Chrystos
MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM QUESTIONS GIVEN TO STUDENTS TODAY (DUE ON
MARCH 17)
GRADUATE STUDENTS ENROLED IN THE COURSE SUBMIT A PROSPECTUS
TODAY ON THE TOPIC OF THEIR GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATION (the
presentation will be on April 14)
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Tuesday, March 15
EXTRA CREDIT POPULAR CULTURE CLIPS
No journal entries due
Thursday, March 17
LESBIANS AS PARENTS
Three journal entries due on Marcy 17 for:
1. Larkin book: The Coming Out of a Gay Pride Child, by Elizabeth Lorde-Rollins
2. Larkin book: Easter Weekend, by Minnie Bruce Pratt
3. Rachel Epstein (2002). Butches with babies: Reconfiguring gender and
motherhood. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 6(2), 41-57.
IN-CLASS MIDTERM EXAMS DUE (exam questions were distributed on March 8)
Tuesday, March 22
&
Thursday, March 24
WHO WERE THE AMAZONS?
Film: Amazon Warrior Women
One journal entry due on April 5 for:
1. V.I. Guliaev (2003). Amazons in the Scythia: New Finds at the Middle Don.
World Archeology, 35(1), 112-125.
Tuesday, March 29
&
Thursday, March 31
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
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Tuesday, April 5
LESBIANS AND SPIRITUALITY
Two journal entries due on March 22 for:
1. Mary Hunt (1994). Lovingly Lesbian: Toward a Feminist Theology of
Friendship. In James B. Nelson and Sandra P. Longfellow (Eds.) Sexuality and
the Sacred: Sources for Theological Reflection. Louisville: Westminster.
2. Jisho Warner (1997). What Do Lesbians Do in the Daytime? In Lenore Friedman
and Susan Moon (Eds.) Being Bodies: Buddhist Women on the Paradox of
Embodiment. Boston: Shambhala.
Thursday, April 7
EXTRA CREDIT POPULAR CULTURE CLIPS
No journal entries due
Tuesday, April 12
ECONOMICS OF LESBIANISM
Two journal entries due on April 12 for:
1. M.V. Lee Badgett (1996). Employment and sexual orientation: Disclosure and
discrimination in the work place. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services,
4(3), 29-52.
2. Danae Clark (1993). Commodity Lesbianism. In Harry Abelove and Michele
Barale (Eds.) The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. NY: Routledge.
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Thursday, April 14
GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
No journal entries due
Tuesday, April 19
GUEST LECTURE BY TEACHING ASSISTANT
JULIE GARDNER
One journal entry due on April 19 for a reading to be assigned
Thursday, April 21
GLOBAL LESBIANISM
Two journal entries due on April 21 for:
1. Blackwood and Wieringa book: How Homosexuality Became “Un-African,” by
Margrete Aarmo
2. Blackwood and Wieringa book Women’s Sexuality and the Discourse on Asian
Values: Cross-Dressing in Malaysia, by Tan ben hui
Tuesday, April 26
&
Thursday, April 28
WHAT ARE LESBIAN “COMMUNITIES”?
1. Susan Krieger (2005). The Mirror Dance in Retrospect. Journal of Lesbian
Studies, 9(1/2), 1-9.
2. Shaba Barnes (2005). My Life in the Lesbian Community: The Joys and the Pain.
Journal of Lesbian Studies, 9(1/2), 45-54.
Film: Last Call at Maud’s
FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS DISTRIBUTED TODAY (due via email on Tuesday, May
10 at 1 pm).
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Tuesday, May 3
LESBIAN MUSIC AND FESTIVALS
1. Bonnie Morris (2005). Negotiating Lesbian Worlds: The Festival Communities.
Journal of Lesbian Studies, 9(1/2), 55-62.
Film: Radical Harmonies
Thursday, May 5
LESBIANS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS
1. Connie Chan (1996). Combatting heterosexism in educational institutions:
Structural changes and strategies. In E. Rothblum and L. Bond (Eds.) Preventing
heterosexism and homophobia. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be a take-home exam. Essay questions will be
distributed in class on Thursday, April 28. Completed exams should be emailed via
Blackboard by TUESDAY, MAY 10 AT 1 PM (this is the final exam period scheduled
for our class).